The government only has one argument in favour of the Fiscal Treaty: If we vote NO, we will be unable to borrow money to fund public services. There will be no stability and so the ATM machines will seize up.

The government’s case comes down to access to the European Stability Mechanism fund. This is a €700 billion firewall that eurozone governments can draw on if other borrowing costs are too high.

The government only has one argument in favour of the Fiscal Treaty: If we vote NO, we will be unable to borrow money to fund public services. There will be no stability and so the ATM machines will seize up.

The government’s case comes down to access to the European Stability Mechanism fund. This is a €700 billion firewall that eurozone governments can draw on if other borrowing costs are too high.

From France and Holland to Slovakia and Greece, governments are falling victim to a European wide backlash against austerity. It seems no pro-austerity party is safe, with even Angela-Merkel’s Christian Democrats suffering a humiliating collapse in recent regional elections. Suddenly, it seems the debate in Europe is shifting away from austerity and towards a greater emphasis on boosting growth and creating jobs. So what is behind all this sudden talk of growth in Ireland and Europe and is the Fiscal Treaty fast becoming a dead duck?

From France and Holland to Slovakia and Greece, governments are falling victim to a European wide backlash against austerity. It seems no pro-austerity party is safe, with even Angela-Merkel’s Christian Democrats suffering a humiliating collapse in recent regional elections. Suddenly, it seems the debate in Europe is shifting away from austerity and towards a greater emphasis on boosting growth and creating jobs.

The political establishment are terrified that the wider European revolt against austerity will derail their treaty.

Their response has been to distort the message coming from France and to claim that the No side will inflict Greek style suffering on the Irish people. In both cases, the evidence points in the opposite direction.

During the election campaign Hollande explicitly stated that he would not ratify the Fiscal Treaty as it currently stands.

His newly appointed Finance Minister, Pierre Moscovici, has repeated the message: "What has been said quite clearly is that the treaty will not be ratified as is and that it must be completed with a chapter on growth, with a growth strategy,"

In the midst of all the media bluster about billions and bailouts, the most fundamental consequence of adopting the Fiscal Treaty into law is being ignored; namely the threat the Treaty poses to democracy.

In the midst of all the media bluster about billions and bailouts, the most fundamental consequence of adopting the Fiscal Treaty into law is being ignored; namely the threat the Treaty poses to democracy.

Despite attempts by powerful outside interests - and even our own government!

to by-pass the Irish electorate and prevent this referendum, the decision by the Attorney General has given us a chance to protect ourselves from further permanent erosion of our constitutional rights and national

One of the tricks that the rich play on ordinary people is to exclude them from real decision making processes. Typically, this is done by monopolising the airwaves and speaking in a technical language that is almost impossible to understand. So-called ‘experts’ replace real democratic discussion and the elite consensus is then reinforced by being trotted out endlessly.

Introduction

One of the tricks that the rich play on ordinary people is to exclude them from real decision making processes. Typically, this is done by monopolising the airwaves and speaking in a technical language that is almost impossible to understand. So-called ‘experts’ replace real democratic discussion and the elite consensus is then reinforced by being trotted out endlessly.

The Yes campaign has launched a dirty tricks campaign to hide the real implications of the Fiscal Treaty

The Yes campaign has launched a dirty tricks campaign to hide the real implications of the Fiscal Treaty.

The treaty would bring twenty years of hardship because of its demand for cutbacks of the order of €4 - €5 billion a year. Ireland has a huge level of debt for the size of its economy but the treaty demands that this be cut by one twentieth each year. On current figures, that is equivalent to stopping all spending on primary and secondary education.

In a statement, Richard Boyd Barrett TD for the People Before Profit Alliance and Finance spokesperson for the United Left Alliance, has warned that the Fiscal Treaty, if implemented, will give greater powers to the EU and ECB over Ireland’s budgetary allocation and make it much more difficult for any Irish government to choose where to allocate funds on public expenditure.